Apple scored a huge victory in its legal battle against Samsung after a German court barred the Korean company from selling its Galaxy Tab tablets in the EU, except the Netherlands.

The court order comes a week after a similar lawsuit in Australia delayed the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1s in the country.

Apple claims that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets and mobile phones copied its iPad and iPhones. It has sued the Korean company in Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Samsung, on the other hand, has countersued Apple.

“There’s no doubt the court decision will have an adverse effect on Samsung. Samsung is clashing with Apple in many places, which could result in a temporary fall in sales and increase costs related to litigation,” said Shinyoung Securities analyst Lee Seung-woo.

While Samsung can appeal against the order, the injunction will still stand as any appeal made would be heard by the same judge in four weeks’ time.

A spokesman from Apple said that it is no coincidence that Samsung products look like the iPad and the iPhone, from its shape to the interface and even its packaging. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas,” he added.

The exception of the Netherlands is due a separate legal battle in the country.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the latest tablet offering from Samsung. The original version of the tablet has a 7-inch screen, but this one has a larger 10.1-inch screen and is marginally thinner than Apple’s iPad 2.